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For the past nine years NYARM has made the Christmas season a time to remember for those children less fortunate than our own. With the aide of Nelson Davis as Santa Claus and Joan Saberito, Chairperson of the NYARM Charity Committee leading the cause, we have brought toys, cookies and good cheer to various organizations.
The New York Child Learning Institute in College Point, Queens is a small school of autistic children, 24 in all, which seeks to teach these special children language, social and academic skills. With Santa's visit we make Christmas a little brighter for children and staff alike. NYARM also gives the school a monetary donation.
The two AHRC (Association for the Help of Retarded Children) schools we visit, Francis of Paola and Brooklyn Blue Feather have had a recent structural change. The 6 month to 5 year olds we used to visit at Blue Feather are now attending Paola and Blue Feather now has 5 to 12 year olds.
The children are both mentally and physically challenged. But they all react the same to Nelson "Santa Claus" Davis as the children you see romping in the playgrounds and frequenting the malls. With open arms they run to him, so happy to see the jolly man in red and white right there in their school.
This year, thanks to Joan's diligence, Toys R Us gave us an unbelievable donation of toys! Not only did our schools benefit but there was enough to donate to the Walter Kaner Foundation, a group brought to us by Al Simon, Nortronics. They have been bringing Christmas to 1500 children every year for decades. Needless to say the children were thrilled with the remote controlled cars; assorted footballs, basketballs and soccer balls; stuffed animals; dolls and trucks.
Special thanks to Nelson Davis for being the one, true Santa Claus, Joan Saberito for all her hard work and the members of NYARM who came to help Santa deliver his message of love and caring: George Brady, Vince Callagy, Ben Jacobson, Lenny Licata, Tom Maniuszko, Wayne Reed, Barbara Sullivan, Michael Wegielski and Elaine Weiss.
We also wish to thank anyone who ever bought a 50/50 raffle at a monthly meeting or donated a dollar or 500 dollars. Without your support none of this is possible. Remember, every gift, every donation, no matter how small, is truly appreciated by the NYARM charity committee, the Board of Directors, the entire membership and of course, the children. Our fund continues so please direct all donations to NYARM, 853 Broadway, Suite 706, New York, NY 10003.
